1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus having a communicating function and a recording function.
2. Related Background Art
Recently, facsimile apparatuses having memory devices of a large capacity have been widely used. In such a conventional facsimile apparatus having the function to temporarily store the received image, the storing function merely plays a role of a buffer of a print spooler. More specifically, the printing speed of printing image information is generally slower than the transmission speed. Therefore, the received image information is once stored into a high-speed memory device, while the image information stored in the memory device is sequentially printed by a printer. With this method, even when the printing speed is slow, the transmission speed does not deteriorate.
However, the conventional received image recording apparatus representative of the facsimile apparatus as mentioned above has the following drawbacks.
(1) Since all of the received image information is unconditionally output to the printer, the image information which does not need to be recorded on the paper is printed, so that there is such drawback such that paper and time are wasted. Further, since unnecessary information is also included in the image information, there is the drawback that when such unnecessary information is stored in a file and this file is left (i.e., not erased), the space is occupied, to no immediate benefit, by this unnecessary file.
(2) Since all of the received image information is unconditionally output to the printer, there is the drawback that confidential information can also be read by a third person.
(3) Since the received image information is successively output to the printer, it is difficult for a receiving person quickly to find out the information intended for him and there is also a fear of loss of his information. Further, only image information corresponding to one sheet of recording paper is output to the printer at a time. Accordingly, there is an inconvenience that when the printed recording paper is distributed to several persons, it must be copied by a copying machine.